The FBI said in a Sunday statement<\/a> that its Joint Terrorism Task Force is assisting city police and the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Southern District of New York with the investigation.\u00a0<\/p>\n The incident occurred during a skirmish between counterprotesters and an anti-Islam protest led by far-right activist Jake Lang outside Gracie Mansion. The FBI said<\/a> Sunday that two devices were thrown.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mamdani<\/a>, the city\u2019s first Muslim mayor, was at home<\/a> with his wife Rama Duwaji<\/a> at the time of the incident. \u201cViolence at a protest is never acceptable,\u201d the mayor said in a statement Sunday<\/a>, calling the attempt to use an explosive device \u201cnot only criminal\u201d but also \u201creprehensible and the antithesis of who we are.\u201d Mamdani added that his administration is monitoring the situation.<\/p>\n New York Governor Kathy Hochul thanked first responders to the incident on X<\/a> and added: \u201cThere is no place for violence of any kind in our State and those responsible for this cowardly act will be held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what we know so far.<\/p>\n What happened?<\/p>\n Police have accused a counterprotester, identified as Emir Balat, 18, of throwing an ignited device toward the protest area at around 12:38 p.m on Saturday. The device, Tisch said at a Saturday news conference, was smaller than a football and appeared to be a jar wrapped in black tape that contained nuts, bolts, and screws, along with a hobby fuse that could be lit. Witnesses reported seeing flames and smoke when it flew, but the device \u201cstruck a barrier and extinguished itself a few feet from police officers,\u201d Tisch added.<\/p>\n Balat was arrested along with another man, Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, who is accused of supplying one of the projectiles, police said. No one was injured and charges have not yet been laid against the pair.\u00a0<\/p>\n Four other protesters were also arrested, including Ian McGinnis, 21, who was accused of using pepper spray against the counterprotesters.\u00a0<\/p>\n As the investigation continued on Sunday, the NYPD said they had identified<\/a> a suspicious device in a vehicle on East End Avenue between 81st Street and 82nd Street, prompting an evacuation of nearby buildings. Police removed<\/a> the device safely a few hours later, and the area was reopened.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n What do we know about those linked to the bomb?<\/p>\n CBS News<\/a> reported that Balat, a U.S. citizen, lived with his parents in Pennsylvania. Balat\u2019s parents were born in Turkey and were naturalized as U.S. citizens in 2017. Meanwhile, Kayumi\u2019s parents were reportedly originally from Afghanistan, becoming naturalized citizens in 2004 and 2009.<\/p>\n![\"Matthew](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773045427_645_.jpeg\"\/)
A homemade explosive device is seen on the ground after clashes between counterprotesters and demonstrators led by far-right influencer Jake Lang outside Gracie Mansion in New York City, U.S., on March 7, 2025. Matthew Hoen\u2014NurPhoto\/Getty Images<\/p>\n